Costing methods can be a contentious issue where there is no definite right or wrong answer. The other day, while looking at my Quora feed, I came across a user who posed a question regarding a disagreement between two people. He wanted to know if at least one person will always be wrong.

Some people like cars, some have an affinity for sport, while others can discuss the sheen of their pet’s coat for hours on end. We all have our own weaknesses … or strengths depending on where you stand on dog fur. My passion is food. Sometimes healthy, occasionally cholesterol-inducing, butter soaked sheer indulgence.

In my previous blog on Architecting your business I discussed the broader benefits that can be gained from applying an architectural approach to your business, the information, the processes and technology.

But the benefits will not be realized if your architecture does not take into account the people in your business, as well as the workflows.

Should an ERP system be customized? That is a question asked by many companies. Although some people say it should never be done, in almost every ERP project one of the first user requests is for customization.

If you accept that customization is a fact of ERP life, then what criteria should the project owner use to select and prioritize customizations? One objective framework for deciding on customization has been provided by consultant and author Geoffrey Moore. In his book ‘Dealing with Darwin’ Moore proposed the concept of ‘core’ and ‘context’ as a way to prioritize growth strategies, but the concept can also be extended to ERP customization.